High End Compact - Canon Powershot S100??

[tinkerbell1988]

hello! i am going to WDW for the first time ever next year (EXCITED MUCH!!?? ) so being a photography NUT i need to make sure i have the right equipment so i thought i would come on here to ask some advice from the disney photography experts

i currently have a Panasonic Lumix TZ5 which is on it's way out.. i have it in my bag with me literally everywhere i go, so it's a bit worn and i'll soon need a replacement. i also have a Canon DSLR with only the standard 18-55mm lens, but i'm not an expert yet and with it being my first trip i don't want to spend my long days round the parks with a heavy camera kit.. so i really don't want to take my dslr..

SO i am looking at getting a high end digital camera to replace my current digital that can give me a great quality photo but in a compact size. after looking at all the advanced cameras with interchangable lenses and hybrid cameras (all too chunky still.. if i want to take a chunky camera i may aswell take my dslr) i narrowed my search to the Canon Powershot S95 (High Sensitivity 10 Megapixel, 3.8x Zoom) the Nikon Coolpix P300 (12MP CMOS, 4.2 x Optical Zoom) but now I have narrowed it down to..

the new Canon Powershot S100 (12.1MP, Ultra Wide Angle, 5x Zoom)

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/PowerShot/PowerShot_S100/

it's being released in Jan 2012, and at the moment is my favourite and seems to have the best features even though it is a tad more expensive than the others.. just wondered what all your thoughts are on this little camera? do you think it will still produce pro shots.. good enough for wdw?? are there any others you would recommend? if anyone happens to have used this camera do you have any tips or thoughts?

 

[boBQuincy]

After trying a high end P&S (Canon G11) it still seems that the tiny sensor is limiting the image quality too much. Micro 4/3 is slightly larger but much more capable. Panasonic's GF3 with the 14-42 X lens is a tiny package with a lot of capability and would outdo the S95/S100 in just about any way.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

I was lucky enough to snatch up a S100 before the Amazon frenzy began, so I've had mine for around a month now. I have used it in two very low light situations so far (Disney Live: Three Classic Fairy Tales, and last night's Bret Michaels concert).

My DSLR is a Canon T2i and I usually have a pretty fast lens on because as I'm learning more, I'm getting to be very picky about my picture quality. I NEVER thought there would be a point-and-shoot camera that I would be happy with now that I've gotten so picky, but when my co-worker told me about the S100, I did some research. It's pretty much top of the line for point-and-shoot, and I am quite happy with the quality (with a bit of post-processing, but I *always* do that, so that's not exclusive to the S100). It's very fast (f/2) at the widest angle, but it does get much slower as you zoom in.

I'm heading to Disney World in 33 days, and this time I am doing the unthinkable - I am leaving my T2i behind! The S100 is going to be the only camera I will carry this time, because this will likely be the last trip we make during DS15's childhood, and he doesn't like me to slow us down with a lot of picture taking. So this time, I'm going to honor his wishes and be a minimalist, camera-wise.

I did invest in this tabletop tripod that seems to work very well for my needs, because like I said, when zoomed in, it's going to be pretty slow. This will be coming to Disney with us for sure! : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000C16R5/ref=oh_o05_s00_i00_details

If you want to bring *only* a point-and-shoot to Disney, I would say this one is the one to bring! The only thing I am sad about is that I won't have the zoom range I would like to have (I absolutely love shooting with my new 135mm f/2, but that will have to wait for another trip!)